The Rachi Shrine and Settlement

Rising 50 meters above the Sanctuary of Poseidon, the Rachi ridge is a prominent feature of the Isthmian landscape. Its defensible location and prospect over the Isthmus of Corinth made it a suitable place for habitation, production, and storage. This volume presents the final results of the University of Chicago excavations on the Rachi (1954–1956, 1989), providing important new information about life outside a Panhellenic sanctuary. At the summit of the ridge, a shrine, perhaps dedicated to Demeter, was in use from the 6th to 4th century BCE. Although no structure associated with the shrine is preserved, votive deposits in and around several bedrock depressions, along with other votive objects, comprise compelling evidence for cult activity. In the last quarter of the 4th century BCE, a settlement was established on the Rachi, with small houses marked out in a pre-arranged grid. The destruction and subsequent abandonment of the settlement in the early 2nd century BCE resulted in relatively undisturbed domestic contexts. Analysis of the architecture and finds suggests that the inhabitants manufactured and stored a variety of goods, including textiles, honey and beeswax, and olive oil. The numerous beam-and-lever olive presses are among the best preserved in Greece. In addition to explorations of the religion, society, and economy of the Rachi’s inhabitants, the volume catalogues the diverse artifacts uncovered in the excavations, including pottery, transport amphoras, lamps, coins, armor and weapons, and architectural materials. Contributors to the volume include H. B. Felleisen, L. Houghtalin, A. H. Jackson, and M. Lawall.

List of Illustrations

List of Tables

Bibliography and Abbreviations

Part I: Introduction

1. Overview of the Rachi, with a contribution by Alastar H. Jackson

Part II: Architecture and Archaeological Evidence

2. Presettlement

3. Settlement

Part III: Finds

4. Pottery

5. Large Basins on High Stands, by Helga Butzer Felleisen

6. Transport Amphoras, by Mark Lawall

7. Lamps

8. Other Terracotta Objects

9. Coins, by Liane Houghatlin

10. Armor and Weapons, by Alastar H. Jackson

11. Building and Architectural Materials

12. Other Metal Objects

13. Other Stone Objects

Part IV: Conclusions

14. Religion on the Rachi

15. Olive Oil Production on the Rachi

16. Society and Economy of the Rachi Settlement

Appendixes

1. Exploration of the Rachi and Monceaux’s Report, by Alastar H. Jackson

2. List of Deposits

3. Function Tables

4. Stratigraphy

Indexes

• By (author) Virgina Anderson-Stojanović